diff --git a/src/jolt/core.janet b/src/jolt/core.janet
index 6b07fdf..9ca5964 100644
--- a/src/jolt/core.janet
+++ b/src/jolt/core.janet
@@ -625,7 +625,7 @@
       :vector (and (number? key) (>= key 0) (< key (length (coll :arr))))
       (not (nil? (get (coll :tbl) (canon-key key)))))
   (if (set? coll) (phs-contains? coll key)
-    (if (phm? coll) (let [b (get (coll :buckets) (phm-hash-key key))] (if b (phm-bucket-contains? b key) false))
+    (if (phm? coll) (phm-contains? coll key)
       (if (pvec? coll) (and (number? key) (>= key 0) (< key (pv-count coll)))
       (if (struct? coll) (not (nil? (coll key)))
         (if (table? coll) (not (nil? (coll key)))
diff --git a/src/jolt/phm.janet b/src/jolt/phm.janet
index 886f4a6..b7b22a5 100644
--- a/src/jolt/phm.janet
+++ b/src/jolt/phm.janet
@@ -1,7 +1,12 @@
 # PersistentHashMap implementation for Jolt
-# Bucket-based hash map with copy-on-write semantics.
+# Bucket-based hash map with copy-on-write semantics. The bucket array GROWS
+# (doubling, rehash) when the load factor passes 2 entries/bucket, so lookups
+# stay O(1)-ish at any size — with a fixed 8 buckets, a 100-entry map was a
+# ~12-entry linear scan per get (the jolt-s3y map-read regression). The bucket
+# count is derived from (length (m :buckets)), so marshaled images from before
+# this change keep working.
 
-(def- bucket-count 8)
+(def- initial-buckets 8)
 
 (defn phm? [x]
   (and (table? x)
@@ -27,10 +32,12 @@
   scalars). Used by callers that index the same canonicalized tables phm uses
   (e.g. transient maps/sets)."
   [k] (ck k))
-(defn- key= [a b] (= (ck a) (ck b)))
+# Identity/scalar equality first — the common case — before paying for
+# canonicalization of collection keys.
+(defn- key= [a b] (or (= a b) (= (ck a) (ck b))))
 
-(defn phm-hash-key [k]
-  (if (nil? k) 0 (mod (hash (ck k)) bucket-count)))
+(defn- hash-idx [m k]
+  (if (nil? k) 0 (mod (hash (ck k)) (length (m :buckets)))))
 
 (defn- phm-bucket-find [bucket k]
   (var i 0) (var n (length bucket)) (var found nil)
@@ -71,42 +78,70 @@
 
 (defn phm-get [m k &opt default]
   (default default nil)
-  (let [bucket (get (m :buckets) (phm-hash-key k))]
-    # presence-check, not nil-of-value: a key mapped to nil is still present,
-    # so return nil (not the default) when the key exists with a nil value.
-    (if (and bucket (phm-bucket-contains? bucket k))
-      (phm-bucket-find bucket k)
+  (let [bucket (get (m :buckets) (hash-idx m k))]
+    # Single pass with a presence flag (not nil-of-value): a key mapped to nil
+    # is still present, so return nil (not the default) when it exists.
+    (if bucket
+      (do
+        (var i 0) (var n (length bucket)) (var result default)
+        (while (< i n)
+          (if (key= k (in bucket i)) (do (set result (in bucket (+ i 1))) (break)))
+          (+= i 2))
+        result)
       default)))
 
+# Rehash every entry of `buckets` into a fresh array of `nb` buckets.
+(defn- rehash [buckets nb]
+  (def out (array/new-filled nb nil))
+  (each bucket buckets
+    (when bucket
+      (var i 0) (var n (length bucket))
+      (while (< i n)
+        (let [k (in bucket i)
+              idx (if (nil? k) 0 (mod (hash (ck k)) nb))]
+          (when (nil? (in out idx)) (put out idx @[]))
+          (array/push (in out idx) k)
+          (array/push (in out idx) (in bucket (+ i 1))))
+        (+= i 2))))
+  out)
+
 (defn phm-assoc [m k v]
-  (let [cnt (m :cnt) idx (phm-hash-key k)
+  (let [cnt (m :cnt) idx (hash-idx m k)
         old-bucket (get (m :buckets) idx)
         had-key (if old-bucket (phm-bucket-contains? old-bucket k) false)
         new-bucket (phm-bucket-assoc (if old-bucket old-bucket @[]) k v)
         new-cnt (if had-key cnt (+ cnt 1))
-        new-buckets (array/new bucket-count)]
+        nbuckets (length (m :buckets))
+        new-buckets (array/new nbuckets)]
     (var bi 0)
-    (while (< bi bucket-count)
+    (while (< bi nbuckets)
       (put new-buckets bi (if (= bi idx) new-bucket (get (m :buckets) bi))) (++ bi))
+    # Grow past load factor 2 (doubling) so buckets stay short. Done on the
+    # copy, so persistence is untouched.
+    (def grown (if (> new-cnt (* 2 nbuckets))
+                 (rehash new-buckets (* 2 nbuckets))
+                 new-buckets))
     @{:jolt/deftype "jolt.lang.persistent-hash-map.PersistentHashMap"
-      :cnt new-cnt :buckets new-buckets :_meta (m :_meta)}))
+      :cnt new-cnt :buckets grown :_meta (m :_meta)}))
 
 (defn phm-dissoc [m k]
-  (let [idx (phm-hash-key k) old-bucket (get (m :buckets) idx)]
+  (let [idx (hash-idx m k) old-bucket (get (m :buckets) idx)]
     (if old-bucket
       (let [new-bucket (phm-bucket-dissoc old-bucket k)]
         (if (= new-bucket old-bucket) m
-          (let [new-cnt (- (m :cnt) 1) new-buckets (array/new bucket-count)]
+          (let [new-cnt (- (m :cnt) 1)
+                nbuckets (length (m :buckets))
+                new-buckets (array/new nbuckets)]
             (var bi 0)
-            (while (< bi bucket-count)
+            (while (< bi nbuckets)
               (put new-buckets bi (if (= bi idx) new-bucket (get (m :buckets) bi))) (++ bi))
             @{:jolt/deftype "jolt.lang.persistent-hash-map.PersistentHashMap"
               :cnt new-cnt :buckets new-buckets :_meta (m :_meta)})))
       m)))
 
 (defn phm-entries [m]
-  (var result @[]) (var bi 0)
-  (while (< bi bucket-count)
+  (var result @[]) (var bi 0) (def nb (length (m :buckets)))
+  (while (< bi nb)
     (let [bucket (get (m :buckets) bi)]
       (when bucket
         (var i 0) (var n (length bucket))
@@ -115,8 +150,8 @@
   result)
 
 (defn phm-to-struct [m]
-  (var result @{}) (var bi 0)
-  (while (< bi bucket-count)
+  (var result @{}) (var bi 0) (def nb (length (m :buckets)))
+  (while (< bi nb)
     (let [bucket (get (m :buckets) bi)]
       (when bucket
         (var i 0) (var n (length bucket))
@@ -127,13 +162,13 @@
 (defn phm-count [m] (m :cnt))
 
 (defn phm-contains? [m k]
-  (let [bucket (get (m :buckets) (phm-hash-key k))]
+  (let [bucket (get (m :buckets) (hash-idx m k))]
     (if bucket (phm-bucket-contains? bucket k) false)))
 
 (defn make-phm [&opt kvs]
   (default kvs nil)
   (var m @{:jolt/deftype "jolt.lang.persistent-hash-map.PersistentHashMap"
-           :cnt 0 :buckets (array/new bucket-count) :_meta nil})
+           :cnt 0 :buckets (array/new-filled initial-buckets nil) :_meta nil})
   (when kvs
     (var i 0) (var n (length kvs))
     (while (< i n) (set m (phm-assoc m (kvs i) (kvs (+ i 1)))) (+= i 2)))
diff --git a/test/unit/persistent-map-test.janet b/test/unit/persistent-map-test.janet
index a3df3a3..867990a 100644
--- a/test/unit/persistent-map-test.janet
+++ b/test/unit/persistent-map-test.janet
@@ -72,4 +72,21 @@
   (assert (= 42 (ct-eval ctx "(get big-map :k42)")) "get k42"))
 (print "  passed")
 
+(print "6: bucket resize (jolt-s3y)...")
+(let [ctx (init-cached)]
+  # Crossing the load-factor boundary several times: every key still found,
+  # nil values preserved, collection keys still canonical, dissoc intact.
+  (eval-string ctx "
+    (def m (reduce (fn [m i] (assoc m i (* 10 i))) (hash-map) (range 500)))")
+  (assert (= 500 (ct-eval ctx "(count m)")) "count survives rehash")
+  (assert (= true (ct-eval ctx "(every? (fn [i] (= (* 10 i) (get m i))) (range 500))"))
+          "every key found after rehash")
+  (assert (= true (ct-eval ctx "(let [m2 (assoc m :nilv nil)] (and (contains? m2 :nilv) (nil? (get m2 :nilv :miss))))"))
+          "nil value present after rehash")
+  (assert (= :hit (ct-eval ctx "(get (assoc m [1 2] :hit) [1 2])"))
+          "collection key canonical after rehash")
+  (assert (= 499 (ct-eval ctx "(count (dissoc m 0))")) "dissoc after rehash")
+  (assert (= 500 (ct-eval ctx "(count m)")) "persistence: source unchanged"))
+(print "  passed")
+
 (print "\nAll PersistentHashMap tests passed!")